The present invention relates to a portable container for storing and removing an elongated element, such as an electric extension cord, hose, wire and various other elongated elements.
Anyone that has ever used an electric extension cord in lengths of twenty-five feet (25') or fifty feet (50') or more understands the difficulty in not only unwinding the cord for use, but also in rewinding the cord for storage purposes. Because such cords are difficult to keep under control, the cord becomes easily entangled as well, causing continuing problems in unwinding or rewinding the cord, as well as moving the cord from location to location.
Homeowners face such problems only infrequently; however, skilled workmen encounter such problems almost daily. In some instances, workers have become so disenchanted with tangled cords that they have simply thrown the cords away, rather than take the time and trouble to untangle the cord.
Another problem exists in storing extension cords. Homeowners can simply wind up the cord and store it on various hooks in a garage or other storage location. While this is not so easily accomplished, it is an infrequent problem confronting home owners. Skilled workmen, on the other hand, have no convenient place to store such cords, either on the job site or in their trucks/vehicles. As can be easily imagined, winding a cord and placing it either on the floor of a job site or in a truck/vehicle subjects the cord to unwinding, either from movement or from other workmen. Further, there is no assurance that such cords won't become entangled, either upon themselves, or upon other products or articles.
One way in which such cord problems are overcome is to use a spring acting or return reel, such as employed in floor vacuum cleaners. The cord is pulled through a small opening for unwinding purposes, and then a button is pushed to release a pawl/ratchet mechanism to enable a spring to rewind the cord on the spring acting or return reel. Of course, such devices are extremely costly because of the need to employ various pawl/ratchet mechanisms and springs. Another practical approach is simply to wind the cord on a reel; however, for reasons discussed in detail below, this does not meet all the needs of skilled workmen and homeowners, as will become apparent.
Other prior art approaches have utilized a cord caddy as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,337,682 where a running length of cord is partially stored in a portable container; a portable container for electric cords and connectors, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,733,478, where a spring return reel is employed; a cord storage reel with a separate cover shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,834,078; a package containing a reel and having a hole for unwinding the elongated element wound about the reel as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,894; and various other cord dispensers as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,224,707; 3,279,590; 3,593,943; 3,809,333; 4,015,795; 4,089,486; 4,322,045 and 4,846,343.
While some of these patents have overcome some of the problems noted above, they do not overcome all of the problems, and further, fall short in meeting the needs of skilled workmen and homeowners who are seeking a practical end economical portable container for storing and removing elongated elements, as well as rewinding such elements, without any of the problems noted above.